Intraoperative disseminated intravascular coagulopathy

Perioperative management of DIC is, at best, difficult, but it is not impossible. Preventing the onset of DIC is the key and is best achieved by recognizing and correcting predisposing factors. Nurses caring for critically injured patients must exercise a high index of suspicion and prepare for dealing with these risk factors. The development of a massive transfusion protocol assists in maintaining a proactive approach to managing patients in need of multiple transfusions of blood and blood components. Alternative approaches to surgical management might assist the patient by allowing the health care team to rapidly identify and correct any predisposing factors rather than allowing them to go unchecked, resulting in uncontrolled complications, such as DIC and patient death.